WONDERS OF

THE WOLF

Did You Know? Some wolves are shy and submissive animals while others are perseverant, aggressive hunters. Despite that, to the best of our knowledge, there has never been a documented case in North America where a healthy wolf has ever attacked a human.

Gray Wolves are part of the Canidae (dog) family and display considerable intelligence and adaptability. Like some dogs, they are very territorial and will claim certain den sites, travel routes and feeding grounds as their own.

Adult wolves have the ability to regulate their body temperatures and can, therefore, adapt to different climates. Very young cubs, however, cannot regulate their body temperatures and must stay close to their mother for warmth until they are 2-3 weeks old.

Wolves from the Arctic Tundra are usually white and have long, thick fur to protect them from the cold. In unusually frigid weather, they will find shelter in a den or cave. Their ears are rounded and covered with thick fur.

Did you know?

Now you can order a poster similar to this one from our Wolf People™ online store. It is laminated in plastic and measures 38.5" x 27.5". Great for classrooms or for your own wolf den at home!

Wolves are very social animals and depend on pack cooperation for their survival. All members of the pack have a definite role, be it an alpha position or subordinate. Once the wolf cubs are weaned, the "aunts and uncles" of the pack play an important role in their upbringing, supplying them with food, recreation and teaching them the skills of hunting. The alpha male also plays an important part in that, unlike a dog, he loves and is very devoted to his cubs. He will play, protect, teach them to hunt, how to avoid danger and love and care for them much like a human father.

Wolves seldom bark, but when they do it is a quiet, quick bark and not continuous like some dogs. Many times a bark is prompted when a stranger approaches or they are taken by surprise.

The coat of a wolf consists of 2 layers, a soft, dense undercoat that is light in color, and an outer coat of long, coarse guard hairs that shed moisture, keeping the undercoat dry. Most of the undercoat and some of the guard hairs are shed in the spring and grow back in the fall.

When wolf cubs are about 2 weeks old, their eyes and ears open. Their eyes are a deep blue and will begin to change to brown or yellow/amber by the time they are 8 weeks old. A cub can eat more than 2 pounds of food daily, which keeps the adult wolves busy hunting for their next meal.

As a business, Wolf People supports organizations and charities that help the abused in the United States and this applies to both man and wolf. Wolf People also supports groups that are working to restore wolves to keep them from becoming extinct. The Timberwolf Preservation Society, The Candy Kitchen (a wolf rescue in New Mexico) and Wolftown on Vashon Island, Washington are some of the organizations supported by Wolf People.

Did you know?
Wolf pups are born in a den that has been selected by the mother. If one is not available, she will dig her own. The gestation period is usually 63 days. The babies are born deaf and blind and remain so until their eyes and ears open, usually about 14 days after they are born. They have a keen sense of smell from birth on.

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) has a very distinct howl that can be heard from up to 10 miles away. Howling is a form of communication used to reunite with the pack, to greet other wolves, mark their territory or for pure enjoyment.

The wolf's mouth is its best hunting tool. A wolf has 42 elongated teeth and its jaws can crush up to 1,500 pounds. A wolf's coat has a large range of colors from almost pure white to varying shades of blonde, cream, gray, brown and black. The thickness of their pelts varies according to the region they live in.

Wolves usually live in packs from 5 to 8 members, but can be as small as 2 or as large as 15 to 20. There is a dominant male (the alpha of the pack) and a dominant female. They are usually the only ones in the pack who breed, having one litter a year. Babies are born in the spring. Litter size can range from 1 to 14 pups with 4 to 6 being the average size.

Pure wolves breed once a year, in the wintertime, and have their babies in the spring. Neither the male or the female is fertile in the summertime, and the male testicles become quite small in the summer. Lower-percentage wolf hybrids can breed at anytime throughout the year, much like a dog.

The month of October starts the breeding season. The female starts releasing estrogen in her urine which the male wolf detects. He, in turn, starts producing testosterone which starts enlarging his testicles. At this time, they become more active and confrontational.
The female wolf can experience PMS and have definite mood swings. The male wolf becomes very protective of her now and very jealous.

Wolves can live to be 15 to 18 years old in captivity whereas in the wild, 5 to 7 years is considered a long life. This is due to the fact that wolves need the same shots as dogs and can acquire parvo, distemper, rabies or some of the other viruses that will invade the canine. Also, a wolf in the wild can get injured and die from infection if not treated. Starvation is another enemy of the wolf when not in captivity, as is man!

If you have questions about wolves or Wolf People, we would love to hear from you. You can send us an e-mail at the bottom of this page.

Take a look through our online catalog. Many of our wolves were used as models for these items.